This document contains tutorials for creating various CGI effects in digital art, including fireballs, lightning, fire, planets, comets, novas, warping, and plasma. Each tutorial provides step-by-step instructions and explanations for how to generate the desired visual effect through filters, layering, transformations, and color adjustments. The final section instructs students to create their own CGI effects tutorial with a minimum of 10 steps, screenshots documenting the process, and their final image.

1. digital illustration + design
project 4: CGI effects
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design
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2. digital illustration + design
CGI Effects Tutorials
FIREBALL Step-By-Step Procedure
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6.
Open a 11” x 8.5” background – 200 PX
FILTER --> RENDER --> CLOUDS
Repeat three (3) times
FILTER REDNERDIFFERENCE CLOUDS
Repeat three (3) times
FILTER --> RENDER --> LIGHTING EFFECTS -->
OMNI, to taste
7. DUPLICATE LAYER, FLIP HORIZONTAL, set LAYER
MODE to SOFT LIGHT
8. DUPLICATE LAYER, FLIP VERTICAL, set LAYER
MODE to SOFT LIGHT
9. TINT each layer with Orange, Yellow & Reds to
taste
10. Complete for all LAYERS except BACKGROUND
LAYER: FILTER --> BRUSHTROKES --> INK
OUTLINES to taste
11. BACKGROUND LAYER --> FILTER --> BLUR -->
GAUSSIAN
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

3. digital illustration + design
CGI Effects Tutorials
Lightning Step-By-Step Procedure
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Open a 11” x 8.5” background – 200 PX
Create a BLANK LAYER and fill with BLACK
(000000)
Create a BLANK LAYER and place a white line
across it, using the RECTANGULAR MARQUEE
TOOL and a WHITE FILL BUCKET (this will make
a line)
FILTER  LIQUIFY  drag mouse over line to
create waves
Repeat the above process several times and
DUPLICATE some LAYERS, EDIT  TRANSFORM
 FLIP HORIZONTAL or FLIP VERTICAL, or a
combination of both
Return to the first line LAYER you created,
LAYER  LAYER STYLE  OUTER GLOW 
change color to 036EF5 and then adjust
settings to taste
COPY LAYER STYLE and apply to all LAYERS
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

4. digital illustration + design
CGI Effects Tutorials
FIRE
Step-By-Step Procedure
1. Open a 14” x 11” background – 200 PX
2. Use the GRADIENT TOOL to create a blend of
black, white and gray with a white highlight
down the center (REFLECTED GRADIENT
selection)
3. After the first gradient is laid down, go up to the
gradient tool menu and select the MODE –
change to DIFFERENCE
4. Draw gradients over the original, over and over
again keeping most of them vertical and some
slightly skewed
5. LABEL this LAYER “BLAST”
6. DUPLICATE “BLAST”: FILTER --> STYLIZE --> FIND
EDGES, set MODE to OVERLAY
7. DUPLICATE “BLAST”: EDIT --> TRANSFORM -->
FLIP HORIZONTAL and then set MODE to
OVERLAY
8. DUPLICATE “BLAST”: EDIT --> TRANFORM -->
FLIP VERTICAL, then EDIT --> TRANFORM -->
FLIP HORIZONTAL, then set MODE to LINEAR
DODGE and at 50% OPACITY, then FILTER -->
STYLIZE --> FIND EDGES, then EDIT --> FADE
FIND EDGES --> 50%
9. TINT each LAYER (including original LAYER) with
ORANGE, YELLOW & RED to taste
10. FILTER --> RENDER --> LIGHTING EFFECTS -->
DEFAULT, use the lighting effects to black out the
sides of the image and highlight the center
flames – repeat for each LAYER
11. Go to the ORIGINAL BLAST LAYER
12. TOOLS --> SMUDGE TOOL 50% - 75% --> set to a
ASSORTED BRUSHES, grab the third brush from
the bottom (ZIGZAG) and set to 120 – 170 pixels
(to taste)
13. SMUDGE the flames on the outside edge only to
create flames
14. REPEAT for each LAYER
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

5. digital illustration + design
CGI Effects Tutorials
PLANET
Step-By-Step Procedure
1.
Open a 8” x 8” 200 PX background
2.
Change the FOREGROUND and BACKGROUND
colors to light and dark gray, one warm and one
cool
3.
FILTER  RENDER CLOUDS
4.
FILTER  BLUR  GAUS. BLUR 5
5.
Go to WINDOW  CHANNELS
6.
Create a NEW CHANNEL (a NEW LAYER)
7.
FILTER  RENDER  DIFFERENCE CLOUDS x 20
8.
Close ALPHA CHANNELS and then click on your
LAYER
9.
FILTER  RENDER  LIGHTING EFFECTS  use
these settings: Light Type: Spotlight | Intensity:
60 | Focus: 70
Light Colour: #FFFFFF | Gloss: -100 | Material:
+50
Exposure: -10 | Ambience: +5| Texture
Channel: Alpha1
 (this is why we created the ALPHA channel)
Height: +100
10.
Using the ELLIPTICAL MARQUEE and the SHIFT
KEY draw a perfect circle selection somewhere
in the bottom left
11.
EDIT COPY
12.
NEW LAYER  FILL BUCKET BLACK
13.
EDIT PASTE, then hold CTRL and CLICK on the
picture of the LAYER (in the LAYER menu) with
the SKIN on it
14.
FILTER  DISTORT  SPHEREIZE 100
15.
DO NOT DESELECT (if you have; CTRL click the
LAYER)
16.
DUPLICATE planet LAYER, RENDER  DISTORT
 SPHEREIZE, then change LAYER to MULTIPLY
17.
MERGE DOWN
18.
DUPLICATE LAYER, the WORLD that is
underneath, FILTER  BLUR  GAUSSIAN
BLUR 40
19.
CREATE a NEW LAYER then CTRL click the
WORLD
20.
FILL BUCKET BLACK and then DESELECT
21.
FILTER  BLUR  GAUSSIAN BLUR 50
22.
Use the ARROW (MOVE) to move the “eclipse”
upward
23.
Add a LENS FLARE to the solid black LAYER
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

6. digital illustration + design
CGI Effects Tutorials
COMET
Step-By-Step Procedure
1.
Open a 8” x 8” background – 200 PX
2.
NEW LAYER, FILL BUCKET black
(000000)
3.
FILTER  RENDER  LENS FLARE 
50-300mm Zoom, REPEAT filter to
enhance color
4.
FILTER  BLUR  RADIAL BLUR 
100, ZOOM, GOOD, raise crosshairs to
corner of window
5.
DUPLICATE LAYER  MODE Color
Dodge
6.
REPEAT RADIAL BLUR for DUPLICATE
LAYER
7.
On DUPLICATE LAYER, FILTER 
LIQUIFY, use this tool to give a comet a
“tail”
8.
BACKGROUND LAYER  FILTER 
RENDER  LENS FLARE, create a
second LENS FLARE in the top left
corner to taste
9.
NEW LAYER, use a circle paintbrush to
create random dots (make sure to vary
sizes, I use DROPSHADOW brushes)
10.
FILTER  BLUR  RADIAL BLUR, 75,
ZOOM, GOOD, raise crosshairs to
corner of window, REPEAT FILTER
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

7. digital illustration + design
CGI Effects Tutorials
NOVA
Step-By-Step Procedure
1.
Open a 8” x 8” background – 200 PX
2.
FILL BUCKET solid black (000000)
3.
FILTER  RENDER  CLOUDS x3
(three times)
4.
FILTER  PIXELATE  MEZZOTINT 
SHORT STROKES
5.
FILTER  BLUR  RADIAL BLUR 
ZOOM, BEST – make sure to center the
crosshairs and then REPEAT
6.
FILTER  DISTORT  TWIRL  +120
7.
DUPLICATE  FILTER  DISTORT 
TWIRL  -180, set LAYER to LIGHTEN
MODE
8.
COLOR BALANCE both LAYERS to taste
9.
FLATTEN IMAGE
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

8. digital illustration + design
CGI Effects Tutorials
WARP
Step-By-Step Procedure
1.
Open a 8” x 8” background – 200 PX
2.
NEW LAYER  FILL BUCKET BLACK
3.
FILTER  RENDER 
CLOUDS/DIFFERENCE CLOUDS
(generate as many as you like to taste)
4.
FILTER  BLUR  RADIAL  ZOOM,
GOOD, 80
5.
FILTER  BLUR  RADIAL  ZOOM,
BEST, 40
6.
IMAGE  ADJUSTMENTS  AUTO
LEVELS
7.
IMAGE  ADJUSTMENTS  COLOR
BALANCE too taste
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

9. digital illustration + design
CGI Effects Tutorials
PLASMA
Step-By-Step Procedure
1.
Open a 8” x 8” background – 200 PX
2.
NEW LAYER  FILL BUCKET black
3.
RENDER  LENS FLARE  50-300mm
Zoom  REPEAT three times scattered
throughout page
4.
FILTER  SKETCH  CHROME 
DETAIL 6, SMOOTH 4
5.
COLOR BALANCE  BLUE TINT
6.
DUPLICATE LAYER x2 (two times) 
CHANGE MODES to LIGHTEN &
OVERLAY (one for each new layer)
7.
On the LIGHTEN LAYER  FILTER 
DISTORTION  WAVE (complete with
settings to taste)
8.
MERGE LAYERS, DUPLICATE, EDIT 
IMAGE  FLIP HORIZONTAL, LAYER
MODE  LIGHTEN
9.
Continue to DUPLICATE LAYERS and
change directions: ROTATE 90° CW,
ROTATE 90° CWW, FLIP HORIZTONAL,
FLIP VERTICAL  to taste
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

10. digital illustration + design
CGI Effects: YOUR PROJECT
CREATE A TUTORIAL
Your project is to create a tutorial of your own. In this tutorial, you should explain how
to create a CGI effect. Use the tutorials you have done in class as a starting point.
Copying a tutorial from the internet is not allowed. You may use internet tutorials to
help you, but you should change them so that they are you have created something
new, all on your own!
TIPS:
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When experimenting, take notes.
Write down the steps you use to create certain effects.
Use the PRINT SCREEN function to capture screenshots as you work
Paste these into a PPT
Keep a desired outcome in mind – what are you trying to create?
Teach someone! Make sure they can follow your “recipe”.
The tutorial should have at least 10 STEPS.
What to turn in?
1. Your tutorial with 10 steps (minimum)
2. Your PPT with screenshots
3. Your final image
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design